


Little Fish

by Autumnalpalmetto



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Annoyed Aaron, F/M, Family Bonding, M/M, buying fish, figuring out how to care for pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23761936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumnalpalmetto/pseuds/Autumnalpalmetto
Summary: When they realize none of the monsters have ever had pets they somehow end up in a bet store, buying everything they need for fish. Aaron doesn't care about the creature, but he does care about his family.
Relationships: Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard, Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Kevin Day & Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten & Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard
Comments: 12
Kudos: 178





	Little Fish

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution for [the Call It Home: An AFTG Family Zine](https://aftgfamilyzine.tumblr.com/)  
> [download it here](https://gumroad.com/l/AFTGzine)

“What do you mean you’ve never had a pet?” Matt asked.

Neil gave him a sideways glance. “When would I have had a pet?” 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Aaron said, “I’ve never had one either.”

They were waiting for everyone to gather in Aaron’s room for movie night. He hated hosting it every week, but sharing a room with Matt meant making compromises. If he let Matt host movie night, Matt would spend the night at Dan’s every Saturday and Nicky would sleepover with Andrew, meaning he and Katelyn got the room to themselves. 

“Nicky,” Matt cheered when he walked in with the pizzas. “Help me out here, how sad is it that Neil and Aaron have never had pets.”

Nicky shrugged. “I wasn’t allowed to have a pet as a kid either.” 

Matt froze. “What? Have none of you had pets? Cause Kevin was raised at the nest so I doubt he did... and like... Andrew moved around a lot.” 

Andrew barged into the room with the girls behind him and the conversation dropped as the girls started discussing movie choices. Aaron curled up in the armchair, accepting a piece of pizza when Andrew shoved it in his face. As the movie started, Aaron stopped paying attention to the conversation. He didn’t need yet another reason why his childhood was lacking. 

On Monday, Nicky prattled away about the rules for pets in the dorms. He chose the drive to practice to bring it up since it was the only time everyone in their ‘family’—Aaron cringed at the word—was trapped in a small space and forced to listen to him. 

“Did you know we’re allowed to have fish tanks? Isn’t that cool?” Nicky asked. “Up to five gallons per room. And we can split it between multiple tanks, I checked.” 

Aaron turned to look out the window. He didn’t exactly want his first pet to be a lame fish. No one else answered Nicky. When he got a big idea like that it usually sizzled out in a few days, like when he had wanted to learn to longboard and then got too scared to do it when Aaron offered to teach him. 

“Guys. Fish are so cheap.” From the amount of enthusiasm he had for the idea, Nicky would probably bother them for a few days before he gave up. “We could each get a fish tank! Or. Or. Or. We could get like one big one, well like five gallons big, and put all our little fishies together.” 

“Do you have fish money?” Andrew asked. 

Bringing up money was a good way to get Nicky to drop an idea; they didn’t have the budget to be spending money on stupid things. Nicky deflated instantly. 

“I do,” Neil said after an awkward pause. 

Andrew glanced at him and back to the road, Aaron could never tell what that was supposed to mean, but Neil nodded like he knew. Aaron kicked the back of his seat, as a punishment for the comment or for understanding Andrew better than he did. He wasn’t clear on why he did it, but it didn’t matter. Neil reached back and punched his leg, which led to Andrew swatting his arm away. 

“Can we get fish after practice?” Nicky asked. 

“What do you know about caring for fish, Nicky?” Andrew asked. “They’re alive. You have to take care of them.”

They were pulling into the stadium parking lot, and Aaron was thankful to get away from the awkward conversation. 

Nicky gasped. “I took care of you two didn’t I? Just because I killed one plant-”

“Three. You killed three plants.”

“Whatever. Just because I killed a few plants doesn’t mean I can’t take care of fishies.” Nicky clapped his hands together. “Can we? Can we?” 

Andrew parked the car before looking back in the rearview mirror. “I’m not your mother. Do what you want.” 

From Andrew that was as good as a yes, as far as Aaron and Nicky were concerned. 

“Andrew?” Neil asked, looking at him like he was something special. 

“Fine.”

“Andrew?” Neil asked again, tone changing to be more concerned. 

“Yes.” Andrew got out of the car and slammed the door, shaking them all. 

“Yes!” Nicky yelled. “I’m going to be the best fish dad ever!” 

Aaron blinked in shock and followed Kevin out of the car. Kevin had been silent the entire car ride, but he normally was when Nicky was chattering on or begging Andrew for something. Or, in cases like this one, both.

“Who will take care of them when we go to away games?” Kevin asked Nicky as they walked in. He was always a realist, and Aaron appreciated that. “What about summer vacations?”

“How long do fish live?” Aaron asked. “Will you take them with you to Germany?” 

In the end, their questions did nothing to dissuade Andrew and Nicky, which is how Aaron found himself standing in the middle of a Petco at 7 pm on a Monday. 

He didn’t particularly want fish, but it was the first time Nicky and Andrew had ever agreed to do something as a family. Normally it was one telling the other family bonding was going to happen, no arguments allowed. Sometimes it would be Nicky forcing Andrew into a family game night. Other times it would be Andrew forcing Nicky to go along with some plan of his. If having fish brought them closer as a family, Aaron was willing to put up with it. 

Seeing Neil being confused about normal everyday things was something they were all used to, but it still threw Aaron when he realized Neil truly didn’t see the point in having a pet. Aaron said Nicky could get whatever he wanted in a tank, and Neil followed his lead, saying the same thing to Andrew. Where Aaron was doing it to make Nicky happy, Neil was doing it because he didn’t understand. 

They walked straight to the fish department, losing Kevin to the lizards along the way as he claimed he was scared of fish. It was clearly a lie, but they all let him get away with it. Most days Kevin still needed strict routine and guidance to take care of himself because of the way he was raised; if Aaron had to guess, he was frightened of caring for another living creature. 

Nicky walked up to the first employee he saw and started asking him about five-gallon tanks and what fish could be kept in them. Andrew stood nearby, looking at the brightly colored betas, clearly listening yet pretending he wasn’t. Neil stood somewhere between them, absorbing the information while also observing Andrew intently. 

Aaron stood by the wall of fish and looked between the three of them as he decided where to stand: too close to Nicky and he’d be abandoning Andrew, too close to Andrew, and he’d be too far from Nicky. It was always a balancing act in their family, trying to decide who to go with at any given time. From the outside, they looked like a cohesive unit, but from the inside they were divided. 

He walked over to Neil, perfectly in the middle of the two. 

“What’s going on?” Aaron asked him, just to see the look on his face when Neil realized he was talking to him. 

Neil blinked like he had never seen him before. “I think Andrew’s getting a beta to live by itself, and Nicky’s looking at a beta with some snails or shrimp or something? I got a bit lost when they started talking about plants and ph levels.”

“Ph levels?” Aaron perked up slightly. 

Neither Andrew nor Nicky knew anything about chemistry. Even if he didn’t want fish of his own, he’d get to be involved in both of their tanks now. Andrew would never ask him for help, but he would demand it. With Nicky, there was a good chance he’d try to do it himself, and Aaron would have to step in before something bad happened. 

Neil nodded. “I guess small tanks are hard to keep balanced. They need to get plants and everything to set it up now and get that all sorted before they bring any fish home.”

Nicky turned around, clapping his hands together. “Alright boys, I’m going to get a cart and then we can get started.”

When he was out of earshot, Aaron cleared his throat. “What’s the budget for this again?”

“Budget?” Neil furrowed his brows, tilting his head and scrunching his nose like Aaron has just given him an impossible math problem. “There’s no budget?”

“Neil’s rich,” Andrew said behind them, making Aaron jump. 

“I’m not rich,” Neil said with an eye roll. 

“You bought my car, you are rich.”

Neil huffed out an almost laugh. “Exactly, not rich after that.”

When Nicky came back, they loaded up the cart with two five-gallon tanks, decorations, plants, the appropriate heaters, and water conditioners. Aaron threw in water testing kits when neither Nicky nor Andrew bothered to look at them. Neil paid, pulling out cash without being bothered at all that the cost was well over a hundred dollars and they’d be back in a few days to spend even more on actual fish. 

One day, Aaron thought, that will be me. One day I’ll be able to spend a hundred dollars without blinking. 

Back at the dorms, they carried everything into Andrew’s room to start the setup. They spent an hour reading through pamphlets and instructions to make sure they got everything right. Kevin and Nicky got the heavy lifting done, putting the tank on Andrew’s desk, while Aaron got the water ready. Andrew put the rocks and decor in quickly, allowing them to put the water and plants in, before heading next door to do it all again. 

The guys were eager to get back to the pet store and buy the fish the next day, but Aaron made them wait. He wanted to make sure they properly conditioned the water before they put live animals in it. 

Nicky was loud with his complaints over the next two days. He told everyone who would listen that Aaron was being a jerk and not letting him bring his precious baby fish home. Andrew said he understood why, but he didn’t really seem to as he constantly did petty shit just to piss Aaron off. Neil and Kevin weren’t openly antagonistic, but they pouted about it. Aaron had never understood what the upperclassmen meant when they said Neil was precious and needed protection until he heard him sigh sadly and look at him with those deep blue eyes. It was the same tactic Katelyn used to get her way with him, and they had almost the same eye color. Aaron was annoyed and helpless to it all at the same time. Not because Neil was pouting, that was ridiculous, but because it reminded him of Katelyn so much. 

Katelyn stopped by their room on Wednesday just before they left to get the fish and somehow roped her way into coming. She said she wanted to look at the tanks and check the water with Aaron, claiming it was cool to see the science in practice. Somehow she started talking to Nicky, and then when Andrew came to collect them to go, she tagged along. They took two cars because Andrew and Nicky wanted to have extra room for their new pets. Bringing Katelyn meant she could drive instead of dragging Matt along too. Andrew had refused to drive because he wanted to hold his own fish the entire way back. 

It was a look into all of their childhoods. Neil and Kevin were apprehensive, not wanting to get attached, while Andrew and Nicky craved having something of their own to care for. Aaron wanted a pet deep down, but he didn’t care for fish, and moving back and forth for the summer was already going to be a pain. 

In the pet store, Nicky and Andrew went straight for the fish section, with Aaron and Katelyn following closely behind them, and Neil and Kevin taking up the back. Nicky chatted to Katelyn excitedly as the store employee helped him get his shrimp ready to go. 

Andrew quickly picked out a bright blue beta fish and went to stand by Neil, who looked impressed. It was clear he was only there because Andrew wanted him to be, and Aaron could admit it was sweet. He also noticed that the fish Andrew picked out was the same color as Neil’s eyes: deep ocean blue mixed with an icy frost. As much as he pretended not to care, Andrew was head over heels for his boyfriend. Katelyn noticed too, sending Aaron a sweet smile. 

With his shrimp in hand, Nicky started looking at the beta fish. Where it had taken Andrew thirty seconds to choose one, it took Nicky thirty minutes. He looked at the chart of information saying which kind of betas they all were and what that meant, then debated with Kevin which one he should get. Nicky wanted to go for beauty while Kevin told him to look at how well they held up over time. A well cared for beta lived for more than a few years, and Nicky needed to consider that, especially with Aaron making sure it would, in fact, be well cared for. 

Katelyn wrapped her arm around Aaron’s waist and dropped her head on his shoulder. “You’ve become the fishes godparent somehow haven’t you?”

“Unfortunately,” Aaron said with a deep sigh. He noted Neil and Andrew watching them. “They wouldn’t last a week without me.”

“That’s not true,” Neil said from his post next to Andrew. “It would take at least two weeks for them to die from unclean water in that big of a tank.”

Aaron huffed out a laugh, while Andrew bit the inside of his cheek. Being amused by the same thing was unexpected. He didn’t point it out though, not wanting to ruin the small moment of bonding with his brother. 

“Yeah, Aaron,” Andrew echoed. “It would take at least two weeks.”

Nicky walked up behind them, carrying his shrimp and fish. “What would take two weeks?”

“Nothing,” Andrew said too quickly.

They all knew that was not the kind of joke Nicky would appreciate. It was nice to see Andrew caring enough not to repeat it.

As they made their way to the front of the store, Nicky was nearly bouncing with excitement. He stayed still enough to keep the aquatic animals safe, but Aaron could feel it coming off of him in waves. Neil paid again and then they were on their way home, with Neil driving one car and Katelyn driving the other. 

At the dorms, Aaron instructed them to let the plastic containers the fish were in float in the tanks for fifteen minutes to get the temperatures to match. They kept both front doors open so he could walk from room to room and make sure everything was going well. He had Nicky put the shrimp in first to keep the beta from getting territorial, then finally let him put the fish in.

The fish swam around in circles, doing three laps around the tank, then went and found a little place to hide for the time being. Once they were sure he was tucked away safe and not going to bother the shrimp, they headed over to Andrew’s to see what he was doing. 

He had waited for them, so everyone settled down on the floor and watched him gently pour his new little friend from the container into the tank. Andrew’s fish was much more exciting to watch. He did laps around the tank, then poked in and out of every hiding spot Andrew had set up. 

“Oh, he likes it,” Nicky squealed. 

Andrew sat down in his desk chair, resting his elbows on the table and head in his hands. He looked completely unimpressed, but the fact that he was even paying attention to the fish said otherwise. 

“Anything would be better than that cup,” Andrew said. “Even one of those shitty beta tanks they tried to sell us.”

Nicky sighed sadly. “I think it’s good we gave them enough room to roam.” 

“I agree.” Kevin leaned closer to look at the fish, already getting attached. “I read online that we can teach them to do little tricks.” 

“I’m not teaching it tricks. It’s a fish.” Andrew looked at Kevin like he was stupid. 

“Just because it’s a fish doesn’t mean it’s useless,” Kevin argued. 

Andrew looked back to the fish tank, following his new friend with his eyes. “It’s meant to be quiet and look pretty, like Neil.”

Nicky laughed. “True, true.”

Neil looked between them all when he heard his name. “What?”

Katelyn leaned into Aaron’s side again, hiding her smile in his shoulder. 

“Neil has never been quiet for more than five minutes in his entire life,” Aaron said, just to start an argument. He refused to comment on the pretty part. 

“I didn’t say he was quiet,” Andrew said with an eye roll. “I said he’s meant to be quiet.”

Kevin, Katelyn, and Nicky all laughed while Neil glared. 

In some weird way, getting fish had brought them all closer together. Nicky and Andrew bonded over their need to have something to care for. Neil and Kevin bonded over their inexperience with pets, and why anyone would want them. Aaron and Neil bonded over their caring for Andrew. Nicky bonded with Katelyn by chatting about fish for as long as she would let him, and she was patient enough to let him talk until he ran out of things to say. Aaron found himself realizing he had a similar sense of humor to his brother and then realizing he would help Nicky and Andrew with their fish because he loved them.

The fish gave Aaron an excuse to come over to Andrew’s room almost every day. He checked the water and made sure the fish was able to thrive more often than he strictly needed to. It wasn’t an everyday activity, but he made it one just to hang out with Andrew. Andrew knew what he was doing, yet he never pointed it out. Instead, they played video games or did their homework in silence together. Kevin joined him every time he checked on either fish because he was very interested. Within a few weeks, they were back at the pet store getting Kevin some aquatic snails of his own to add to the tank. 

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Little Fish (The Ground-Level Expectations Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27552892) by [ApprenticedMagician](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApprenticedMagician/pseuds/ApprenticedMagician)




End file.
